


Limerence

by EvanescentMemory



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: AU, F/M, Fluff, Heartbreak, High School AU, Imagine that, Love, Save Us All, Tension, Twelveclara, Writing AU, lots of tension, otp, poetry au, relationships, scary isn't it, tennage whouffaldi, them as tennagers, we may be doomed, whouffaldi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-02
Updated: 2016-05-23
Packaged: 2018-06-06 00:28:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,461
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6729904
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EvanescentMemory/pseuds/EvanescentMemory
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Clara Oswald is a sophomore in high school, and just happens to have a crush on a senior who has no idea that she likes him.<br/>Everything is fine until her crush finds himself with her journal in his possession. Not knowing what to find in it.<br/>Which just happens to be full of poetry and writing.<br/>About him.</p><p>{ high school au }</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Clara's Passion For Poetry (and John Smith)

**Author's Note:**

> I've wanted to write a High School AU at some point, and this is what I've started! I'm not a very good writer XP but I try. I also am Twelveclara trash if you haven't realized. So I hope you enjoy my fic if you ship Twelveclara :). I'm not sure how many chapters there will be, but expect more to come! :3

Limerence (noun) : the state of being infatuated or obsessed with another person, typically experienced involuntarily and characterized by a strong desire for reciprocation of one's feelings.

•

High School to most people was either a hit or miss. You either did very well and made a good group of friends, or you lived out your short High School career as a hallway drifter. To Clara Oswald, it was in all over the place. She always had a feeling at the pit of her stomach that she'd have a huge high school trauma that would drastically change her life and change her entirely with it. She wasn't half wrong either.

•

He was in her second period class. Physics, to be more precise. That's where it all began. At least, where it all began for Clara Oswald. She had never been infatuated with anyone before, and she was determined to keep it that way. Her father would not let his daughters date until they were in college. It was one of his main rules, and Clara was not interested in breaking it.  
But if this was what it felt like to have a crush, then she wanted to feel this way all the time.  
He was six foot tall at least, with short curls that rested on his head, and blue eyes. He had an voice that Clara had never thought she'd grow to like so much, and a smile that could make anyone's heart melt. He was amazing at physics too, and almost always knew the answer to the teachers question. He was a few years older than Clara, but that didn't bother her at all. Most of her friends had dated older boys anyways. She sat a few seats behind him in the back of the class, writing poetry. Clara felt that the best way to express what she felt was to write down her thoughts by making them into poems. She had always loved writing, and English was her best subject. Her father had bought her a journal to keep all of her poems and writing in, and they were almost all about the boy that sat in the front of the class. But her father didn't know that, and it was best he didn't find out about it either. 

•

"You should tell him how you feel, or at least get him interested." Rose explained to Clara, as the two girls stood in the lunch line.  
"Rose, I'm sure he doesn't even know I exist." Clara told her.  
"How could anyone not know you exist?" Rose asked her.  
"Oh please." Clara told her, as the two of them walked to their lunch table after paying for their meals.  
"Hey Martha!" Rose exclaimed.  
"Hey! If it isn't Rose and Clara. What's up you two?" Martha questioned.  
"Well, Clara was talking about you-know-who." Rose teased.  
"Ohhhh. Him again?" Martha asked giggling.  
"Write any more poems?"  
"Oh, shush." Clara said.  
"Alright then. Sorry for asking." Martha rolled her eyes while Rose snorted, shoving chips into her mouth.  
"What about you? You girls never talk about who you have a crush on." Clara explained.  
"Well I've got a boyfriend." Rose said.  
"And I for one don't find anyone attractive." Martha added.  
"Except Jack Harkness." Rose whispered.  
"Well who doesn't have a crush on him anyways?" Martha told her.  
"Clara doesn't. She has someone else in mind." Rose said giggling. "Actually... Jack is close friends with this someone."  
"Really?" Clara asked.  
"Mmhmm. He is." Rose confirmed.  
"But I wouldn't get too close to Jack. He'd flirt with a plant if it could talk." Martha explained.  
"Or you just want him for yourself." Rose snickered.  
"What's in those chips?" Martha questioned as she took one from Rose's tray and bit into it.  
"Hey girlies!" Their friend, Amy, exclaimed as she walked towards the table with her boyfriend Rory and his friend, Danny.  
"Hey lovebirds! And Danny." Rose murmured with her mouth full of chips.  
"Where's Mickey?" Rory asked Rose.  
"I don't know. Probably in the library." Rose told him.  
"You don't keep track of your own boyfriend?" Martha asked.  
"Why... am I suppose to?" Rose countered. Danny, who didn't really know anyone too well in the group, decided to leave to sit at his usual table. Amy and Rory sat down next to Martha.  
Clara decided to leave the conversation and took out her poetry journal. As she began writing, Rose snatched the book from across the table.  
"Rose! Give it back!" Clara shouted. Rose started to flip through the pages.  
"Rose! I'm serious!"  
"Oh my..." Rose said as her eyes widened at a certain page. "Clara that's very... Passionate." Rose said smirking.  
"Let me see!" Amy replied, taking the book from Rose's hand.  
"Lovely manners, Amy Pond." Rose joked.  
"I try." Amy said with a smile. "Oh, I see what you mean." Amy said placing the book down. "It's very well written though." Clara grabbed it from her and shoved it into her backpack.  
"But obviously it's not meant for me or my eyes to see." Amy told the table.  
"Well it is a poetry journal. Almost like a diary." Clara sharply responded. "And it's not for anyone's eyes to see, it's how I express my feelings without physically expressing them."  
"Sorry about that." Rose told her. "It was a rude thing to do." Rose told her.  
"Same here." Amy joined in.  
"Just forget it. All of it." Clara told them. "I mean it too. If any of you tells anyone about this..."  
"We won't Clara." Amy assured her.  
"We won't. True friends keep secrets. Hopefully."  
"Rose... Not helping." Amy told Rose.  
"But what was it about?" Rory asked. "Ow! Amy! There's no need to kick me!"  
"Let's just say that Clara has a passion for writing." Rose explained. "Especially when it's about John Smith."


	2. Heart Eyes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is short and not very good, and mostly them joking around. But it's to lead up to the main parts of the story. :)

Clara unlocked the front door of her flat, finally home after school.  
"Ashildr?" Clara called out. Ashildir, her younger sister, was only a few years younger than Clara. Her father worked late hours and Clara had to take care of Ashildr. Her mother had passed away when she was a young girl, and her father had to work to take care of his family.  
Clara, not receiving a response, grew worried and went to Ashildr's room.  
"Ashildr!" Clara shouted as she banged her fist against the door.  
The door then opened revealing her younger sister.  
"What?" Ashildr asked with an angry look on her face.  
"Why didn't you answer me?" Clara questioned.  
"I'm busy." Ashildr replied.  
"Well I'm making dinner." Clara told her.  
"You mean heating up frozen food." Ashildr said, shutting the door.  
Clara went to the kitchen and took out the frozen meals and placed them in the microwave. Once they were done, she set the table and called Ashildr to eat.  
•  
"So... How was school?" Clara asked her as she bit into what she thought was chicken.  
"Fine." Ashildr said. Clara noticed that she had been covering her right forearm as she ate. She had done it earlier when Clara had talked to her, but Clara hadn't given it any thought.  
"Why are you grabbing your arm like that?"  
"Like what?"  
"Move your arm." Clara demanded.  
"No." Ashildr replied.  
"Do it now." Clara said reaching over the table to grab her arm. She pulled her hand off of where she was grabbing her arm, and saw that she had a huge bruise on her right arm.  
"What happened?!" Clara asked worried.  
"I got punched."  
"Oh my gosh. You should put some ice on it."  
"I'm fine. You should've seen the other girl." Ashildr replied. "Which reminds me..." She pulled out an envelope from her pocket and and gave it to Clara. "I got detention." Clara took the envelope, her eyes widening.  
"Dad's going to be aggravated at you Ash, you've already gotten in enough trouble."  
"Well Mr. Noble said my outfit was too risky. He deserved a good slap."  
"ASH!"  
"Stop calling me that."  
"One more of these letters and you'll get suspended."  
"Whatever." Ashildr said rolling her eyes.  
"And you're going to show him this." Clara explained.  
"I'm not going to show him. As you've seen he already doesn't like me."  
"Oh please." Clara said. "You know that's not true."  
"I can't tell him Clara. I can't tell him a lot of things."  
"You can tell me."  
"Why? So you can make fun of me?"  
"So I can help."  
"You wouldn't understand." Ashildir told her. "Thanks for the meal." Ashildr ended the conversation as she got up and walked to her room, leaving Clara alone at the dinner table.  
"Maybe I would." Clara said quietly to herself.

•

"What happened?" Martha asked Rose as she was walking in the hallway, with a huge bandage across her nose.  
"Dodgeball." Rose said. "It's fine though."  
"Looks it." Martha said sarcastically.  
"Where you walking to now?"  
"Math." Rose told her. "With Clara... And John." Rose said winking.  
"Wonder what her grade is in that class." Martha said.  
"Probably amazing. It is Clara we're talking about." Rose explained.  
"I sometimes take pictures of her when she's staring at him." Rose said laughing.  
"This I need to see." Martha told her.  
"I don't even think she realizes she does it honestly." Rose gave her the phone and showed her the photo. Martha started laughing even harder.  
"Now here's my edit." Rose said, swiping to the next photo. She had given Clara heart eyes and a badge on her blouse that said 'John's #1'.  
"I'm dying." Martha exclaimed. "Why did you show me this?" Martha joked.  
"Show you what?" Clara asked coming out of nowhere.  
"Oh... Nothing." Rose lied giving her a big smile.  
"Oh really?" Clara asked. "Show me the phone."  
"No!"  
"Rose Tyler!"  
"What are you my mum?" Rose asked.  
"You might as well just show her it. She already knows we're hiding something." Martha told her.  
"Fine." Rose said swiping to the first photo she showed Martha. Clara grabbed it with her face in shock.  
"When did you take this?"  
"Math class."  
"Did you send it to anyone?"  
"Of course not! Martha's the only other person that's seen it."  
"Do I really do that?" Clara asked.  
"Yeah. All the time." Rose told her.  
"That's embarrassing." Clara murmured.  
"Oh... Just wait until you see the next picture."


	3. My Friend the Matchmaker

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YAY THEY FINALLY INTERACT!!¡¡  
> GAHHHH THIS CHAPTER TOOK FOREVER TO WRITE AND I KEPT GETTING WRITERS BLOCK; I STILL DON'T LIKE IT AFTER FIXING IT MULTIPLE TIMES. :((( I tried.  
> I also have exams coming up so I may not be able to update a lot. But I'll try :).

The next day, Clara walked to Physics, a saw a group of students at the front of the class signing what seemed to be a tutoring sheet. Tutoring was mainly from upperclassmen who would use it as a way to earn service hours. Rory, who was in her class, walked up to her desk as she sat down.  
"Amy told me to tell you to look at the sign up sheet for tutoring." Rory explained.  
"Why exactly? I'm doing very well in this class thank you very much." Clara told him.  
"She said to look at it." Rory said. Clara gave him a questioning look, to which he answered by motioning toward the front of the room.  
"Tell her I'm perfectly fine." Clara told him. He walked back to his seat just as the bell rang.

•

"So. Are you excited?" Rose asked as she walked with Clara to the cafeteria.  
"For what exactly?" Clara responded.  
"Tutoring for Physics."  
"I didn't sign up."  
"Oh no." Rose said worriedly. "Amy didn't tell you?"  
"Tell me what?" Clara questioned.  
"That she signed you up."  
"No. Why would she? Is she that worried about my grades? And without asking me herself?"  
"You go ask her."   
The two girls found their table. Martha, with her dark hair up in a messy bun, lifted her head at the sound of Clara's tray landing on the table. She began to scoot herself farther down the table, taking a hint from Clara's confused yet angry expression.  
"I'm assuming she doesn't know yet." Martha observed.  
"No." Rose told her.  
"I don't want to be near her when she finds out."  
"Oh come on you two!" Clara exclaimed. Just as they sat down, Amy walked to the table followed by Rory.  
"Amy you'd better tell Clara what you've done." Rose told her. Amy looked at Rose, then turned to Rory.  
"I thought you told her!" Amy exclaimed.  
"I tried to!" Rory said. "She didn't want to sign up!"  
"Why exactly did you want to sign me up?" Clara asked.  
"Come on Clara. Why do you think?" Amy questioned.  
"I honestly don't know. I was looking to you for the answer."  
"Who do you know is really good at Physics? That's a senior? That could be invested in such a program?"  
"You didn't." Clara said.  
"I did!" Amy retorted.  
"You signed me up for tutoring with JOHN?!"  
"No need to thank me." Amy said sarcastically.  
"Amy... I'm going to kill you!" Clara said angrily as she jumped across the table trying to reach Amy, Rose grabbing her shoulders trying to pull her back.  
"Calm down Clara. It's all going to be fine." Martha told her.  
"No. He doesn't know who I am and now he's going to be tutoring me?"  
"What's wrong with that? Now you'll actually be able to have a conversation with him instead of staring at him all the time." Rose said.  
"I was only trying to do you a favor Clara. I thought you'd want to meet him." Amy explained.  
"When is it exactly?" Clara asked.  
"After school on Thursdays in the library." Amy told her.  
"So tomorrow?"  
"Yeah."  
"Excellent." Clara replied sarcastically.

•

Rose (8:25 PM)  
Hey Clara. Excited for tomorrow? ;)

Clara (8:27 PM)  
Rose stop texting me.

Rose (8:27 PM)  
Oh come on Clara! Amy was only doing you a favor.

Clara (8:27 PM)  
I wish she hadn't.

Rose (8:28 PM)  
It's the thought that counts.

Hold on.

(Rory, Amy, and Martha have been added to the chat.)

Martha (8:30 PM)  
Heyyyy.

Clara (8:30 PM)  
Hey Martha.

Amy (8:30 PM)  
Hey all.

Excited for tutoring Clara? c;

Clara (8:31 PM)  
Not really. I don't need tutoring.

Rose (8:31 PM)  
That's not what she means. /;)

Clara (8:31 PM)  
Rose! >:( I'm serious.

What should I even ask him to help me with?

Martha (8:32 PM)   
What you're learning now???

Clara (8:32 PM)   
Maybe...

Amy (8:32 PM)  
I'm sorry if I made you feel bad Clara. 

I didn't mean to. :c 

I thought it would be an easy way for you to meet him.

Clara (8:32 PM)   
It's fine. 

There's no going back now.

I just need to see how it goes from here.

Martha (8:33 PM)  
Good luck with that.

Rose (8:34 PM)  
Where's Rory?

Amy (8:34 PM)  
Sitting right next to me.

Martha (8:34 PM)  
And you're texting us instead of spending quality time with your bf?

Amy (8:35 PM)  
Yeah.

Rose (8:35 PM)  
AMELIA GO BE WITH HIM

HE'S LONELY

Amy (8:36 PM)  
Fine. I'm going.

Ttyl.

Rose (8:36 PM)  
Bye 

Clara (8:37 PM)  
I'm a little nervous.

Martha (8:37 PM)  
Awww. Why?

Clara (8:37 PM)  
I mean

I really do like him.

And I do want to talk to him.

But tutoring?

That's a different story.

That'll make me feel more like a student of anything.

Rose (8:37 PM)  
I'm sure you'll be fine Clara.

Clara (8:38 PM)  
I hope so.

Martha (8:38 PM)   
You will! Don't worry about it.

This is good.

You'll be able to get to know him.

Rose (8:39 PM)  
Yep.

Clara (8:39 PM)  
Okay.

Well, I'll talk to you lot tomorrow then.

Thanks for the chat.

Rose (8:39 PM)  
Np. Don't worry about it at all. Go to bed.

Martha (8:39 PM)  
Goodnight. :*

Clara (8:40 PM)  
'Night. 

•

The last bell rang out, and Rose had decided to walk with Clara to the library.  
"Ready?" Rose asked her, as they made their way towards the library.  
"Ready as I'll ever be." Clara responded.  
She walked with her until they reached the main doors of the library.  
"There he is." Clara told her. He was sitting at one of the tables in the front of the library, with his reading glasses on, looking over his Physics notes.  
"Go get him hun." Rose said winking. Clara rolled her eyes while Rose snickered, then Rose left to catch her bus.  
Clara walked into the library and towards the table John was sitting at.  
"John?" Clara asked, or at least that's what she tried to get out. She wondered if she had even said anything at all. He looked up at her smiling, his hair falling to his forehead. She clenched her fingers around the video she had been holding in her arms. She was sure that she looked flushed and she was shaking all over, but what more could she do about it?  
She was having a conversation with him. An actual conversation. Not one that she had thought about in her head, but it was a start.  
Everything has to start somewhere, her mother used to tell her.  
"Hello Clara. When I saw it was you I was tutoring I became less worried about it." He said. Clara gave him a smile. He knew who she was and he knew her name too? She decided at that moment she liked the way he said her name. His Scottish accent made it almost seem as if it was an entire different name altogether, one that she had never been called until now.  
"It's my first time tutoring." He added.  
"I'm sure you'll do great." Clara told him smiling, taking a seat next to him.  
"So. What do you need help with?" He asked her, turning to look at her.   
"Umm... What we're learning about in class now I suppose. It is a bit confusing to me."  
"Alright then. You sure about that?" John asked as a joke, her with a look that made her feel many things all at once.  
This was going to be a long tutoring session.

•

"Thank you for all of your help John." Clara thanked him smiling. She had actually spent half of the time focusing on every little he did, rather than Physics. Like the way his eyebrows arched when she asked him a question, the hand gestures he'd make when he explained a problem, and the way his curls fell to his forehead, and how he would push them back (and how she wished he had left them there). She tried to pay attention, to maybe learn something from him, but it was difficult to do when he was right next to her. Hopefully he hadn't noticed her staring.  
"No problem Clara. You're very good at Physics, are you sure you need me to help you?" He joked. Clara laughed.  
If only he knew why she was getting tutored by him in the first place.  
"Same time next week?" Clara asked.  
"If you'd like." John told her. "I'll be here."  
"Sounds great." Clara told him, thinking to herself how much she loved that idea.  
"Is your ride here?" John asked.  
"Yes, my dad is. I shouldn't keep him waiting, he'll start to ask questions." Clara joked.  
Did she actually just say that?  
Clara tried not to show how embarrassed she felt, but John only laughed, not breaking the eye contact they shared.  
"Bye John." She said as she walked out of the library.  
"See you in Physics." He replied, watching her as she walked out of the library.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know what you think or give me a suggestion to what you think I should write. I really appreciate your input. It benefits me and my writing :).


	4. It's Not Over Yet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's been a long while, but this is also a long chapter. Hope you like it :).

Clara opened the door to her father's car, and sat in the front seat.   
"Hello Clara. How was school?" He asked her as she snapped in her seat belt.  
"Just fine." Clara answered back. She didn't want to talk to him about tutoring. Especially about John.  
Ashildr sat behind the driver's seat, looking down at her phone.  
"What did you stay for?" Her father asked her.  
"Physics help." Clara replied, not looking at him.  
"Why would you get physics help? You're amazing in physics."  
"I was confused on what we're doing now, besides... It's good to have practice." Clara explained. Ashildr laughed in the back seat.  
"I'm sorry. What's so funny?" Clara asked.  
"Nothing." Ashildr told her. Clara turned to her dad.  
"Why is she here?" Clara asked him.  
"So I can keep an eye on her." He said, staring at her through his mirror.  
"She told you then?"  
"About the letter? No. I found it in her room."  
"It says keep out on the door for a reason." Ashildr murmured.  
"It doesn't matter. You're suppose to show me things like that." He told her. "Never mind. Clara, what about you? Who'd you get help from?"  
"Just someone in my class who is very good at Physics." Clara told him.  
"Who?"  
"You don't know them, dad." She explained, trying to avoid the subject and change the conversation.  
"How can I trust them if I don't know them? What If something happens to you?"  
"Calm down dad. It's fine. Trust me." Clara said. "All of my friends know who he is." Clara believed her heart had stopped at that moment. She accidentally let that slip. She looked out the window as her father's eyes widened, and Ashildr laughed hysterically in the back seat.  
"'He?' He's a he?"  
"Yes. And? It could've been a girl and you would've thought nothing of it." Clara explained, shooting a suggestive look at Ashildr, who instantly stopped laughing.  
"Do you like him?" Her father asked.  
"No." She said a little to fast.  
That was a huge lie.   
"He's just my tutor." Clara said.  
"I bet." Ashildr said sarcastically, giggling.  
"Shut up." Clara told her.

•

"How was it?" Amy asked Clara as she sat down next to her at their normal meeting place before school, which was on the floor in the English hallway. Clara, who was talking to Danny about a group project in World History, turned to smile at Amy.  
"I'll talk to you later Clara." Danny told her.  
"Okay." Clara responded, as he got up and walked away.  
"Danny Pink?" Amy questioned.  
"He's very kind, mind you."  
"I know. He's Rory's friend." Amy reminded her.  
"Are you going to tell me about it?" Amy asked.  
"About what?" Clara asked.  
"You know what."  
"It went fine." Clara told her.  
"Just 'fine'? That's all?" Amy asked.  
"Yeah. What am I suppose to say?"  
"How was he?"  
"Very nice."  
"That's all you have to say?"  
"Amy!"   
"You were probably too busy gawking at him to even catch anything that came out of his mouth." Amy said, poking Clara's shoulder.  
"Oh please." Clara said.  
"I'm right aren't I?" Amy said laughing.  
"Sure you are. Where's Rory?" Clara asked. Amy just shrugged her shoulders with a seemingly upset expression on her face.  
"Hey loves." Rose said, with both Mickey and Martha trailing behind her.  
"Hello there." Amy greeted.  
"How'd it go Clara?" Mickey asked. Clara looked at Rose.  
"You told him?" Clara asked.  
"He's not going to tell anyone. Don't worry."  
"I told you not to Rose."  
"It was an accident. I let it slip." Rose told her, as the three of them sat down. "But really. How'd it go?"  
"'Nice'." Amy said, quoting Clara.  
"Really? That's all?" Rose asked. Clara gave her a confused look.   
"What else am I suppose to say? It's not like we went on a date."  
"You wish." Amy murmured.  
A loud wolf whistle echoed in the hallway, and the group looked up only to see a boy with dark hair and a devious smile. Behind him, John was walking with his reading glasses on and a thick binders in his hands.  
"Hi there Jones-y." The boy said, winking at her. Martha rolled her eyes and smiled at him.  
"Jack." She said.   
"Looking gorgeous." He told her.  
"Thank you." She replied. He gave her a big grin and started to walk down the hallway and away from the group. John walked up to them.  
"I'm terribly sorry about him." He apologized to Martha. He then looked towards Clara.   
"Hello Clara." He said with a smile, in which she returned.   
"Hi John." She said. He continued to smile, then started to speed walk to catch up with Jack.  
"Hello Clara." Rose smirked, imitating John.  
"Cut it out!" Clara told her. "What about Martha? What was that all about?" She continued pointing towards Martha.  
"I don't even want to talk about that one." She said.  
"What did you do?" Amy asked.  
"He knows he can get away with teasing people. That's all. Sadly, I just had to be picked as his lab partner." Martha explained.  
"Oh Martha hun." Clara said.  
"Okay, girls, I have to tell you all that I want to have a sleepover next weekend with all of you. At my place." Rose told them smiling. Mickey rubbed his hands together and grinned.  
"Not you Mickey." Rose told him, hitting him in the harm  
"I think I'll be able to go." Amy said.  
"Same here." Martha told them.  
"I'll see." Clara told them, just as the bell rang.  
"Okay then, well I'll see you all later." Rose said, getting up with Mickey.   
"Bye." Clara said.

•

The weekend came and went, and Clara found herself once again in school. She was making her way to the cafeteria in the morning, when a flustered Mickey ran in front of her.  
"Mickey?" Clara asked. "Are you alright?"   
"No. If Rose asks, you didn't see me Clara. I've gotta go." He said, running past her and speeding down the hall. Clara continued to make her way to the cafeteria, until an agitated Rose stopped her dead in her tracks.  
"Where Mickey? I'm going to kill him!" Rose exclaimed.  
"What did he do?"  
"He made me think he was dead." Rose told her. "He got my mum in on it and everything."   
"And you're going to kill him for pretending to be dead?" Clara asked.  
"Yes!" Rose reassured.  
"Okay then. Good luck with that." Clara said as Rose past her by. It was best she didn't question her when she was angry.  
She finally had made it to the cafeteria, and bought herself breakfast, due to the fact that she had no time to eat earlier. As she sat down at the nearest available table in the lunch room, someone came by and say in front of her.   
"Oh. Hi Danny." Clara greeted, realizing who it was.  
"Hello Clara. Mind if I sit here?" Danny asked.  
"Not at all." Clara replied.  
"How are you?"  
"Good. I'm hungry thanks to my sister. I'm never asking her to wake me up again." Clara noted. Danny chuckled.   
"What about you? How do your mornings go? I honestly don't even know much about you."  
"Would you like to?" Danny asked.  
"I mean. It wouldn't hurt." Clara implied. "I would like to know my history project partner. The man behind the hard worker." Clara joked.  
"What exactly would you like to know?"  
"Well..." Clara began, taking a bite of her muffin. "What do you want to do after school? After you graduate?"  
"I'd like to become a soldier." Danny told her. She sat there and stared at him.  
"A soldier?" She repeated.  
"Yeah."  
"Like the whole fighting, training, gun shooting deal?"  
"Yes. It's either that or teaching math."  
Clara smiled, letting out a small laugh.  
"What's so funny?" Danny asked her.  
"What? Nothing. I think that's a very brave thing to do." Clara admitted.  
"What about you?" Danny asked her.  
"I want to be an English teacher." Clara told him.  
"Really?"   
"Yeah."  
"Doesn't seem like you would want to be a teacher."  
"What do I look like I'd want to be?" Clara questioned.   
"I don't know. I'll think of something." Danny explained.  
"Alright than soldier boy." Clara said, with a small smile on her lips.  
"How about you tell me your story. Clara Oswald's story." Danny told her. Clara processed his question.  
"Well. I was born in Blackpool. I like to bake soufflés. I have a younger sister named Ashildr, who can drive just about anyone crazy by talking about her collection of antique porcelain dolls, which creep me out to no extent." Danny laughed at that bit.   
"My mum died years back, and my dad's been trying to support us in the best way he can."  
"Well then. That was a lot of information in a very short period of time."   
"I do try." Clara told him. "How about you?"  
"I don't know. There's nothing really. I'm not very interesting." Danny admitted.  
"I highly doubt that." Clara said smiling. The bell rang for first period, and the two of them got up and walked to class together. They stopped at the front of Clara's first period class.  
"I'll see you later Danny. I enjoyed talking with you."  
"Same here. Maybe we can do it again sometime?"  
"Maybe." Clara told him, as she walked into her classroom.

•

Thursday finally arrived, after half a week of routine Clara was looking forward to breaking her schedule and going for tutoring. She sat in the front of the library. John wasn't there yet, so she decided to sit with Rose and chat before he arrived.  
"Did you hear what happened between Amy and Rory?" Rose asked her.  
"They had a row. It's not surprising." Clara stated. "All relationships have their moments."  
"Yeah. I hope it all works out though. I don't even know what they had a fight over." Rose said.  
"If it makes you feel better, neither do I." Clara informed.  
"So. You coming to my sleepover?"  
"Yes. I can, as long as there 'are no boys' as my father told me."  
"Oh please. He still doesn't know?"  
"Know what?"  
"I don't know... Anything about you!"  
"You mean about Nina?"  
"Yes!" Rose proclaimed, and was shushed by the librarian.  
"What about her? That was a crush, and it obviously did not work out." Clara remembered.  
"What I mean is. He's worried about you with boys, but what about girls?"  
"Rose!"  
"I'm just saying!" Rose said, putting her hands up.  
Clara took out her phone to check the time.  
It had already been 10 minutes.  
"Where's John?" Clara asked.  
"Not sure. Maybe he's just late. I wouldn't worry about it Clara." Rose tried to reassure her.  
"Or maybe he forgot."  
"I doubt it." Rose pulled out her phone.  
"My mums here. I've got to go."  
"Bye Rose."  
"Bye Clara."

•

It had already been 25 minutes, and there was still no sign of him. She then finally saw him walking through the doorway of the library.  
With Jack.  
"John." Clara said. He took a seat next to her.  
"Clara, I'm very sorry. I had to stay after to finish a test and I didn't think it would take as long as it did." He told her.  
"And then River decided to appear." Jack reminded him.  
"Shush!"  
"River?" Clara questioned.  
"An old friend." John told her.  
"Okay. I'm gonna leave you two alone. Let's keep it PG kids." Jack told them, winking.   
Clara tried to hide the heat she rising to her cheeks.  
"I honestly don't know why I keep him around." John said. "Sorry if he made you feel uncomfortable or annoyed. His presence can do that." John apologized.  
"I'm fine."  
"What's your number? That way if I'm running late or I can't do tutoring I'll text you." John explained. Clara pulled out her phone and they both exchanged numbers.   
"Okay then." Clara said. "There you have it."  
"So what do you need help with this time?" John asked.  
"Reviewing. The test is soon and I want to make sure I'm prepared." Clara told him.  
"Alright."

•

"We've finished early." John told her.   
"Well, you did come late." Clara teased. "My dad isn't here yet though." She said, putting her books into her bag.  
"You're a sophomore, right?" John asked.  
"Yes."  
"You don't look it."  
"I actually think I do look it." Clara told him. He smiled at her.   
"Well you're a senior." Clara reminded him.  
"Yes. Can you tell?"  
"It said it on the sign up sheet." She told him, although that isn't how she knew.  
"Did it?" John questioned.  
"Anyways. It's the last year of high school for you. How's it going so far?"  
"Not as I had hoped."   
"Oh?"  
"I was hoping it would be a big year for me. Everyone else says it has been for them." He told her.  
"Well... It's not over yet, you've still got a while to go."  
"True."  
"I think it'll be a great year."  
"Really?"  
"I have a feeling it will." Clara said, looking at him with her big brown eyes and her teeth showing as she gave him a smile. He looked into her eyes and smiled back at her.  
"You know, I believe that you may be right."


End file.
